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Lifeline vest question

Good Morning...

I picked up a nice '80's Lifeline vest for just playing with my olde anteek D hydro. It's in good shape, but the floation filler in the front on both sides is a hard as a freakin' rock. Anyone know of a fix for this short of sending it in and spending more than it's worth?

Thanks for any input...

Jim

I say "Pardon Me" a lot. I had a 20H with a toilet bowl, then raced open mod sleds.

Lifeline Impact Jacket

Originally Posted by twostroke

Good Morning...

I picked up a nice '80's Lifeline vest for just playing with my olde anteek D hydro. It's in good shape, but the floation filler in the front on both sides is a hard as a freakin' rock. Anyone know of a fix for this short of sending it in and spending more than it's worth?

Thanks for any input...

Jim

Some of the older Lifelines had impact resistant stuff in them. I had Jim McKean's old parachute jacket, they laughed at me when I wanted them to re certify it, as it was 25 years old.

Before too much playing in the D hydro, make sure the jacket floats you. When I first started racing in the late 60s, I wore a jacket that Dan Futrell gave me that he used in the 50s. The first time I got thrown out of a boat, I raised my arms to indicate I was okay and proceeded to sink, at which point I was forced to tread water. The filler in that jacket had gone hard, too.

My Mom, Mrs. Hill Made Thousands of Life Jackets

Originally Posted by Ketzer

Before too much playing in the D hydro, make sure the jacket floats you. When I first started racing in the late 60s, I wore a jacket that Dan Futrell gave me that he used in the 50s. The first time I got thrown out of a boat, I raised my arms to indicate I was okay and proceeded to sink, at which point I was forced to tread water. The filler in that jacket had gone hard, too.

My mom made thousands of life jackets, filled with kapok. Kapok will float you for abour five minutes, then it soaks up water and you'll sink. She tried covering it with plastic, but water soaked in the stiching and would never dry out.

The first Lifeline jackets went to me, Dennis and Dewey Berghauer. I delivered them to Waukegan. Denny, Dewey and me all jumped of Johnson Motors docks and the same time and tried to f;loat face down. Those early Lifeline jackets had about 6 inches of padding/floatation in the front. You could not float on your stomach.

Never raced with a Lifeline, but my Dad bought some for our offshore business. If our hand had to jump off a platform 100 feet above the water, it would have stayed with him and brought him to the surface. They didn't have any kind of safety evacuation devices in those days. If the filler is hard, it's no good, and I can tell you that it doesn't matter if it was still pliable or not....if you hit the water at speed, the stitches would rip out. Too old. Age and ultraviolet light really takes a toll The jacket is called Lifeline because it is designed to save your life from sinking after a high speed impact...not to just jump off a pleasure boat and float around, or protect you when you slip out of your ski's. Best thing is to save it to hang on the wall as a memento of the life jackets that were used during those particular days of racing.